In The Wake Of War
by SubconsciousSpeaker44
Summary: This fanfic takes place after ending no. 1 when the Akadama Clan and Kurou Family are celebrating their triumph over the goverment army. KitchoxChelsea.
1. Chapter 1

Kitcho entered his room and closed the door behind him, jaw aching from the smile he had been unable to keep from his face all day.  
Outside, he could still hear the overjoyed shouts, yells, laughter and singing from the revelry taking place below. Even though it was drawing close to 3:00am, celebrations were still in full swing. Many Akadama Clan members had chosen to enjoy themselves at the mansion while many more had trekked down to the station to eat, drink and be merry with their new Kurou Family allies.  
Kitcho suspected that Suzu, the young girl who ran the restaurant, was being kept busy and earning plenty of yen, so in all actuality, there was no one the Kurou-Akadama alliance hadn't helped.  
He sighed and rubbed his head.  
If only Kenji had stuck around long enough to be part of the festivities. After all, he was the whole _reason_ they had been able to defeat the government army. If he hadn't helped unite the two forces and been the one to kill Josui Tamagawa at the shrine (throwing the remaining troops into disarray), who knows how long the battle would have lasted?  
But alas, a few warriors from both sides had seen the samurai leave the pass shortly after the battle had ended.  
And who knew where he was going? Kenji was somewhat of an enigma.

As these thoughts circled around his head, Kitcho heard a knock on his door.  
"Yes?" he said briskly, being snapped quickly back to reality.  
Karibe opened the door with one of his customary grunts.  
"Kitcho," he said. "We're going down to the station for one more drink and a game of Hanafuda. Word's been sent to the mansion that Hachiro has challenged me to a game! Are you coming?"  
"Hachiro?" Kitcho questioned.  
Karibe laughed his signature crazed dog laugh.  
"Yes, you know him! That tattooed freak, Tsubohachi!"  
"Oh, we're on a first-name basis now, are we?" a playful grin curled around Kitcho's mouth.  
Karibe shrugged and barked out another laugh.  
"Any samurai who helped me break up those government pigs is OK with me. So are you coming?"  
Kitcho held back a laugh. He had never seen Karibe so drunk and full of merriment...how was he supposed to _win_ a game of cards like this? But, he reasoned, Tsubohachi was probably just as inebriated and hysterically joyful.  
"No, I'll stay here," Kitcho said. "Look after things at the mansion. Make sure they don't burn the whole place down in celebration!"  
Karibe shrugged again.  
"Suit yourself. Chelsea is staying here too, she's leading some sort of drinking game down in the courtyard. You should join them!"  
"Maybe I will. See you later Karibe, good luck in Hanafuda!"  
"Luck?" Karibe laughed again. "Luck is for losers! Luck was what the government army needed today, pity they had none!"  
And with that, he shut the door and swaggered away, still laughing loud and jubilant.

Kitcho moved to his bedroom window and looked down into the courtyard.  
Sure enough, Chelsea was standing in the middle of a group of Akadama members, holding up a glass of ale and calling out some sort of instructions. The members nodded eagerly and the game seemed to begin, marked by excited shouts, swigs of drink and the occasional burst into uproarious laughter.  
Kitcho smiled broadly, full of pride and happiness over the victory of his clan (and the Kurou Family).  
But he felt something else as he looked down into the courtyard, looked past his legion of brave warriors and looked straight at his partner.  
The moonlight was catching her in such a way tonight that her skin looked even more pallid and gorgeous than usual. Her golden hair shone, her body moved with extreme elegance and her eyes glimmered, lit up by a stunning smile.  
Kitcho shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.  
She was a beautiful woman, he knew that.  
It wasn't news, he had known it ever since he first met her out at sea.  
He knew that plenty Akadama members knew it too...he was well aware that many of them would gladly take her to bed. But they respected her far too much to objectify her...she was a good second-in-command leader and a master samurai. Even Karibe, a man known to openly show sexism once in a while, revered her skill and was proud to fight by her side.  
But she wasn't _just_ a good partner and a great warrior...she was kind and courageous, loyal and reliable, smart and humorous. She was a friend, a confidante, a...lover?  
Kitcho shook his head and audibly muttered "no."  
Sure, jokes had been made about him being her "boyfriend" and the two of them getting married someday but they were all just jokes, right? And yes, Chelsea was candid about her dedication to Kitcho but that was just platonic, right? Another way of being loyal to the clan?  
The leader of the Akadama Clan sighed again and continued staring down into the courtyard.  
Just then, Chelsea turned around, looked up and caught his eye.  
He smiled down at her and she grinned back the most incredible, alluring smile Kitcho had ever witnessed.  
He turned from the window then, suddenly feeling sad and embarrassed.  
How could a woman as spectacularly beautiful as Chelsea ever want him?


	2. Chapter 2

Kitcho lay on his bed, resisting the urge to heave a sigh or feel down.  
For goodness' sake, this was supposed to be the most cheerful, triumphant day of his life. Feeling in any way low was simply not justifiable!  
But after catching a glimpse of such a captivating smile, how could he...?  
He threw himself into a sitting position, mentally chastising himself.  
_Get a hold of yourself Kitcho and stop this ridiculous wallowing._  
He stood up then, deciding that he _would_ follow Karibe down to the station after all. He had gotten plenty drunk earlier and had come up here to sober up. And that probably was the only issue now, right? He wasn't drunk enough.  
Sure, that was it. He was just about to stride out the door and head down to the station for a few drinks and a good time when there was yet another knock on his door.  
"Come in," he said, feeling full of confidence and self-assurance now.  
Chelsea opened the door, peering in cautiously.  
"Kitcho?" she ventured.  
His confidence instantly left him again.  
"Ch-Chelsea! What are you doing up here?"  
Chelsea smiled impishly.  
"I could ask you the same question," she said, entering the room and closing the door behind her. "What are you doing up here all alone? We're supposed to be _celebrating_!"  
"Eh, I was just reflecting on Kenji," Kitcho lied. "I wish he was here to commemorate this victory with us."  
Chelsea's face suddenly turned solemn.  
"Yes," she agreed sadly. "We owe a lot to him. It's a pity he left so quickly, maybe he just doesn't like parties!"  
She laughed and headed over to the window.  
"He's missing one hell of a party though," she commented, looking down admiringly at the merrymaking below. "It's a shame."  
"Definitely," Kitcho concurred. "He should be here. The government army was only defeated once and for all because of his bravery."  
"Yeah and he wasn't bad-looking either," Chelsea remarked playfully.  
Kitcho was ashamed by the pang of jealousy he felt somewhere underneath his ribcage.  
"You think so?" he tried to keep his voice casual.  
Chelsea turned around and smirked at him.  
"He really wasn't bad at all," she shrugged in the same playful tones. "Better-looking men have walked around this mansion though."  
"Really? Like who?" Kitcho dared to question.  
Chelsea averted his gaze and smirked again.  
"You know who I'm thinking of," her voice was close to a whisper.  
"No idea," Kitcho tried to keep the atmosphere relaxed so his cover wouldn't be blown. "If I had to guess though...Gouda isn't an ugly guy and neither is Hibiki. And I've seen a few women make eyes at Masaru since he joined the clan last year. Any of them who you were thinking of?"  
"Not exactly," Chelsea looked up at Kitcho from under her long, golden fringe.  
The stare she kept on him made something in Kitcho's heart soften. And something below his belt stiffen slightly...  
"Ahh," he let himself exhale. "Well then I'm stumped Chel. You know I'm not one for looking at the gentlemen myself!"  
He forced a laugh but Chelsea only returned it with a weak smile.  
"You should rejoin the party," she said sombrely. "You're missed."  
And with that, she left.

Descending the staircase back down to the main hall, Chelsea felt her heart sink more with every step.  
_Stupid girl_, she internally reprimanded herself. _What did you think would happen?  
_Of course. Of course a man as brave, strong, intelligent and handsome as Kitcho wouldn't choose her as his love interest. He saw her as a friend, a partner, a fellow samurai. And that was enough.  
She valued his friendship, the jokes they shared, the discussions they had. And it was an honour to fight alongside him on the battlefield. Often she was in awe of his brilliant leadership skills, as well as his unmatched swordsmanship.  
And to expect anything else was nothing but foolish.  
Just then, one of the Akadama generals, Osamu, suddenly ran to the foot of the stairs.  
"Chelsea-san!" he called up to her with an ecstatic grin on his face. "You should see the rule Noburu has added to the game, it's fucking hilarious!"  
"I'm coming back now," Chelsea smiled. "Give me a second."  
"Sure!" Osamu laughed and ran off again.  
Chelsea sighed deeply and sat on the last step of the stairs.  
Some things just weren't meant to be...

Quite abruptly, she sensed a presence behind her.  
Alarmed that a government soldier might have been hiding in the mansion this whole time, she whipped around and saw -  
"Kitcho! Did you decide to join us?"  
Kitcho walked down the stairs, keeping his eyes carefully on Chelsea.  
"No," he said, his voice shaking in what seemed an awful lot like nervousness. "I just came to join _you_."  
Chelsea frowned in confusion as Kitcho sat down next to her, locking his eyes to hers.  
"Kitcho, what's-?"  
But her words were silenced, breath momentarily stopped...by Kitcho's lips on her own.  
Her brain seemed to temporarily freeze, stall and then function again.

Chelsea began moving her own lips in rhythm with Kitcho's, moving her hand up to feel the soft skin on his face.  
At the same time, Kitcho put his hands around her waist, opening his mouth and daring his tongue forward. Chelsea welcomed this readily, immediately moving her own tongue to meet his.  
A few metres away, two Akadama warriors peered around the main entrance of the mansion, watching.  
"About time," one muttered to the other as he chewed on some bread.  
"Yup," his companion agreed, taking another swig out of his cup. "To be honest though, I thought they had started banging each other months ago!"  
"I think we all did."

Kitcho broke apart from Chelsea for a moment and looked down at her, happily lost for a second in her beauty.  
She smiled mischievously up at him and ran a hand down his neck to his toned chest.  
Under the muscle, she could feel a frantic-beating heart.  
"What now?" she asked him.  
Kitcho blinked at her, wondering if the way she was turning him on so much was in any way apparent.  
"Come back upstairs with me," he said breathlessly.  
Chelsea couldn't have agreed fast enough.


End file.
